Red Lake Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing a Boy

A 22-year-old Red Lake man pleaded guilty earlier today in federal court in Minneapolis to sexually abusing a boy on the Red Lake Indian Reservation last year. Appearing before United States District Court Chief Judge Michael J. Davis, Eagle Wind Lajeunesse pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact. He was indicted on November 4, 2009.

In his plea agreement, Lajeunesse admitted that between September 1, 2008, and March 16, 2009, he knowingly engaged in sexual contact with a male who had not attained the age of 12. According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, Red Lake Family and Children Services contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation on August 30, 2009, to report that the boy was being sexually abused.

For his crime, Lajeunesse faces a potential maximum penalty of life in federal prison. Judge Davis will determine his sentence at a future hearing, yet to be scheduled. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal-jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office.